


Magic Training

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 09:04:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14398776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Darko teaches Shadow how to do some magic. Shadow belongs to Shadowlord13.





	Magic Training

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shadowlord13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowlord13/gifts).



Shadow took in a deep breath of the night air as she stepped off the boat that she’d rowed all the way out here with Dancer standing in the back. It was really inexplicable how this was even possible, but the helmsman who usually ferried her out to Dark Core and back had generously offered to teach her how to do it. As it turned out, it required a lot of charms and prayers to the gods of the sea. Or just a very good series of spells to keep the boat afloat even in the roughest conditions. Dancer stepped out behind her, shaking himself to get rid of the salt water that had soaked into his coat. It was immediately replaced by rain, at which he whickered in annoyance. Shadow laughed as she rubbed his neck, then bent to moor the boat to the base of the oil rig.

“C’mon, Dancer,” said Shadow, climbing into his saddle once it was done and clicking her tongue. “Let’s get you somewhere warm and dry so I can meet up with the love of my life and the best teacher of magic that I’ve ever known.” Dancer nickered and trotted forward, already looking forward to the hot mash that awaited him in the stables. Dancer was treated well here too, of course, he was Shadow’s Soul Steed, after all.

After navigating the slippery oil rig, Shadow dismounted and led Dancer over to the surprisingly well-built stables. They had been constructed out of shipping containers, it was true, and made to look like shipping containers, but the interior housed a rather cosy stable. Unfortunately, there was no paddock to let the horses out in, so Shadow had to make regular trips back to the mainland just to exercise her horse. Lately, she’d also been exercising the other Dark Horses too, people mistaking them for Jorvik Wilds with their unusual colouring.

“There you go, boy, that should tide you over,” said Shadow, leaving the steaming container of mash in front of him. Dancer gave an excited whinny and tucked in, his tail swishing. He’d likely need exercising later on, so it was a good thing that Shadow wouldn’t be staying here for the rest of the day. Her plan was to go to this magic training lesson, take Dancer back to the mainland for some exercise, and then come back here at night to spend the night with her beloved.

When Shadow turned around, she saw a man standing there and smiling at her. Her insides melted at the warm smile that he gave her, the way his eyes crinkled up, the sheer presence of him being here.

“Good morning, my Shadow,” said Darko, striding towards her and wrapping his arms around her waist smoothly. Shadow beamed up at him, gladly accepting the kiss that he pulled her into.

“Morning, Darko,” said Shadow, not minding the rain soaking into her. “I’m ready for my magic lesson now.”

“Yes, you are rather eager to learn, aren’t you?” said Darko, turning and walking with her into the interior of the oil rig where it was significantly less wet. Shadow nodded.

“You’re the only one who’ll teach me,” said Shadow. “The druids have taught me nothing so far, except for really passive stuff.”

“Perhaps they fear the power that you possess,” said Darko. “And they are right to fear it. Your power is unlike any that I have seen before. It is a most wondrous thing to see, and to have the opportunity to teach you about.”

“Well, I’m glad I have you to teach me how to use it,” said Shadow, her heart thumping as they neared the dojo-like room where they usually held their magic training sessions. There were a few mats laid out on the floor, mostly for protection should one of them fall, as well as some mats lining the walls. There were also some full-length mirrors so that Shadow could see what she was doing, though these mirrors were covered up during some exercises. Most importantly, though, runes were inscribed in the walls, floor, and ceiling to prevent any rogue magic from leaking out or doing too much damage. Runes to protect not only the room but those within. Darko had explained all of this to Shadow when he’d first brought her here. In one well-protected corner of the room, there was also a small table holding a water cooler, plastic cups, and some food to recover from some of the more intense training sessions.

“Now, before we begin, did you have any special requests for this lesson?” asked Darko, turning to face Shadow after he’d inscribed a rune on the door to lock it. They couldn’t have anyone accidentally opening the door and receiving a blast of magic to the face, or seeing something that they shouldn’t see. “Anything that the druids or one of your friends mentioned that piqued that wonderful curiosity of yours?”

“I just want to learn how to fight, mostly,” said Shadow. “So teach me all of those big blasts and the flashy stuff.” Darko chuckled at her wording.

“That takes far more control than you have at the moment, my dear,” said Darko. Shadow pouted. “However, I can teach you how to move objects with the power of your mind, how to control animals to do your bidding, even how to change your appearance with nothing but a thought and a few hundred runes.”

“I don’t really want animals to do my bidding, though,” said Shadow, frowning. She didn’t even smile when Darko snapped his fingers to magically dry her hair, though she did appreciate it. “What about talking to them? Although… changing my appearance, does that mean that I could potentially change my form?”

“I was thinking more along the lines of changing yourself to look like a different person, what did you have in mind?” asked Darko.

“Well… don’t laugh but I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be a wolf,” said Shadow. To her relief, Darko’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, and then you can better spy on people if you become a wolf,” said Darko. Shadow grinned, glad that Darko agreed with her idea. “However, that is very advanced magic, so we will have to build up to it. But I can promise you that it will be a goal.”

“Sweet,” said Shadow, grinning. “But what should we practice today?”

“Spells, my dear,” said Darko, picking up his cane. “I do hope that you brought your rune wand with you.”

“I always do,” said Shadow, reaching into her jacket (also dry now) and pulling out the wand that Fripp had pulled from Pandoria for her. The purple runes on it glowed warmly, even through her gloves.

“Excellent,” said Darko, nodding and taking up the position. He twirled his cane around, flames dancing along the length of it and flickering in his eyes.

“Yeah, too bad mine doesn’t do that,” said Shadow with a roll of her eyes. The only thing that her rune wand could do was create streaks of purple through the air when she swung it.

“In time, your wand may gain additional effects,” said Darko.

“What, like it’s a weapon in a game or something?” asked Shadow, looking dubiously at the piece of wood.

“As your magic grows stronger, it will,” said Darko, nodding. “I have no time for such video games, but I assume that it is the same thing? Your magical ability will unlock new abilities as you continue your training with it.”

“Like Dancer growing wings, yep, I get it,” said Shadow with a nod. “And before you ask, no, I haven’t managed to get him to do that again.”

“I am continuing my research into that, don’t worry,” said Darko. “Someday, I will know just how and why your horse grew wings, and you will be the second person to know after myself.” Shadow smiled.

“Thank you,” said Shadow. “Now, what spells did you have in mind? I’m ready and willing to learn anything.”

“Transfiguration,” said Darko, tapping his cane on the ground to produce a potted plant. “The magic of turning one object into another object. For example, with one spell, this plant can become-“ He tapped the top of the pot with his cane, and it became a horse-shaped lamp (complete with a horseshoe pattern on the lampshade)- “a light.”

“Wow,” said Shadow, grinning as she crouched down to touch it. “That’s amazing. And it’ll stay like this forever now?”

“Because my magic is strong enough, yes, it will be permanent,” said Darko. “However, because your control over your magic is so unfortunately weak and your magic is so unpredictable, I cannot say for how long an object that you change will retain its new shape. Why don’t you try it out on this plastic cup?” One of the plastic cups from the water cooler appeared in his hand, and Darko placed it down on the ground. He stepped away from it. “Go on, try it.”

“What do I do?” asked Shadow, looking from her wand to the cup. “Do I just think it and it’ll happen or what?”

“Think of the cup changing into something else,” said Darko. “Like, say, a ball. Though, try for something specific and small so that you don’t break everything.”

“Personal experience?” asked Shadow. Darko nodded.

“The first thing that I transfigured was a glass into a ball,” said Darko. “Imagine my surprise when it was a bowling ball.”

“Ouch,” said Shadow, wincing.

“Yes,” said Darko. “I learned that lesson the hard way. But while we are talking about hard-learned lessons, I would advise waiting a while before you try to change something into a fruit or animal or vice versa. Changing the object into a living thing takes a lot of magic and practice to avoid creating a monstrous hybrid.”

“Noted,” said Shadow, looking back at the cup. She took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, so… cup into a small wooden wolf sculpture.” Darko stepped back again as Shadow tapped the rim of the cup with her rune wand, which flashed purple, and Shadow felt a sudden dip in her energy that signalled a dip in her magic.

“Oh dear,” said Darko, stepping back again as the plastic wolf took a step towards him. It looked, for all the world, like a wolf made out of plastic cups.

“What did I do?” asked Shadow, her eyes wide with concern as she looked upon the beast. It growled, the sound that of a dog growling into a tube, and Shadow had to resist the insane urge to laugh.

“You either weren’t concentrating enough, or your magic is too out of control,” said Darko, twirling his cane and bonking it on the head of the wolf, which immediately collapsed into a small pile of plastic cups.

“I’m sorry,” said Shadow, looking down. Did this mean that she was a failure? That she could never be taught? That all of Darko’s efforts were for nothing? Had the druids ruined her, or had she ruined herself? Had she just been born wrong? Shadow didn’t even realise that she was crying until Darko wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head. Shadow sniffled, clinging to his shirt.

“It’s okay, you are very new to having magic,” said Darko. “Why, just a few short months ago, you didn’t even know that you had magic. And yet now, you not only know that you have it, but you are also learning to use it.” He leaned away from Shadow a little to look her in the eyes.

“But I failed,” said Shadow.

“And you will fail again, but you will learn from your failures,” said Darko. “I promise you that, my dear. Perhaps it would ease your mind if I told you of some of my own failures?”

“It might make me laugh, at least,” said Shadow, nodding as she blinked away tears. Darko smiled as he dried her tears, then led her over to the refreshments table, filling a cup with water for her. When she drank it, the water was cool.

And then, once she was hydrated again, Darko regaled Shadow with tales of how he had messed up at mastering the basics of magic. She laughed as he told her about the time that he’d transfigured a lump of mud into cake, resulting in a literal mud cake, and how he’d disguised himself as a dragon until the enchantment had worn off in midair and he’d had to explain to his mother how he’d ended up in a tree. Gradually, Shadow felt her spirits lift as Darko shared his embarrassing failures with her. It helped greatly to know that Darko had once felt as she did now. If he could grow to become so magically powerful, she could too. It would just take a lot of practice. Fortunately, she had a very good teacher.


End file.
